THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501080242
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
If Johnson C. Smith was the ninth-best team in Division II, Norfolk State, after a slow start, appears ready to take its rightful place among the nation's elite as well.
The Spartans gutted out an 84-79 CIAA win over the No. 9 Golden Bulls Saturday afternoon at Brayboy Gym, their sixth win in a row and most important victory of a still-young season.
``16 years I've been coming to this place, and you don't get out (with a win) often,'' Norfolk State coach Mike Bernard said.
Smith's tiny gym is always a tough place to play. This year the Golden Bulls (9-4, 4-3 CIAA) have a tough team as well.
That made Saturday's game all the more important for Norfolk State (9-2, 4-1), which figured to be ranked this time of year but fell out of the top 20 after a couple early upset losses.
``This game was a measuring stick as to where we are this point in the season,'' Bernard said.
The Spartans measured up well, coming from eight points down with nine minutes left. They outscored the Golden Bulls 13-6 over the final six minutes. ``We wanted it more,'' guard Marvin Stinson said. ``They're ranked. We lost our ranking. We wanted to prove to the nation that we're still one of the best teams in the country.''
Stinson was one of several players who gave Norfolk State a lift down the stretch, coming off the bench to hit a pair of 3-pointers that started the Spartans' comeback.
``Coach was like, `Go in and shoot the lights out, Stinson,' '' Stinson said. ``By saying that, he was showing confidence in me.''
Stinson's second trey cut Johnson C. Smith's lead to two, 71-69, with 6:29 left. The Spartans then went on a 9-2 run, with all nine coming from Corey Williams and Blitz Wooten.
Williams got in early foul trouble but finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
``We did what we had to do and got him in foul trouble,'' J.C. Smith coach Steve Joyner said. ``He didn't dominate, but he did what he had to do for his team.''
So did Wooten and forward Derrick Bryant, who both played 40 minutes. Wooten had 19 points and eight rebounds while Bryant had 16 points and seven boards.
The Norfolk State trio had their hands full with the Golden Bulls' inside trio of Shawn Jackson, Robert Boykins and Tyron Satterfield, who combined for 53 points, most of them inside.
J.C. Smith, after a slow start, began punching the ball inside and took control of the middle 20 minutes of the game. They also got some hot shooting from guard Melvin Abrams, the CIAA's leading scorer. Abrams, a 6-3 guard, scored 12 of Smith's final 17 points to end the first half.
But Abrams, who averages 24, finished with just 17, as Norfolk State tightened its defense down the stretch.
``In the second half, we all wanted to play defense,'' Bryant said. ``That was the difference.''
Wooten and point guard Marvin Whitfield, in particular, came up with big defensive plays during crunch time. Wooten, playing with four fouls, swatted an Abrams shot with under two minutes left. Then, with 34 seconds remaining and Norfolk State up 82-79, Whitfield forced a five-second call on J.C. Smith's Erasto Hatchett, turning the ball over to the Spartans.
Bryant iced the game with a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left, and Norfolk State celebrated like it hasn't all season.
``The key was we kept our poise,'' Bernard said. ``We got down by nine and chipped away one possession at a time.''
The Spartans jumped up 11 early, 22-11, with 11:49 left in the first half, but then Smith took over for the next 20 minutes or so.
``We showed the will to win against some very difficult odds,'' Bernard said. ``That makes the whole coaching staff feel very very good about the progress we've made.'' by CNB